Tree the Health Nut

Hi, everybody! I've decided I'm not going to wait for New Year's to begin working on my health. Not my weight--my health. I'm never going to be a 21 yr old pole dancer. However, I can be a healthy 40 something with many years left in which to be attractive and busy and have a lot of fun. I stated on Facebook that I would post my beginning stats and before pics. I haven't got the pics taken yet, but here is the lowdown on my size and health.
Weight:  294.0
Bust:  52.25
Midriff:  53.5
Waist:  55.0
Hips/Abdomen:  59.25
Current health issues: depression, inner ear balance problem, thinning hair, sinusitis, water retention (on meds), dry flaky patch on scalp, acne, hydradenitis supparativa (underarm cysts), constipation, occasional urinary incontinence and fatigue. My blood pressure has normalized, I rarely have headaches and my stress level is better since I have been on leave of absence from work and had a few months of counseling. This may be too much information, but I feel that if I can help someone else who is suffering in silence the way I have for years, my slight embarrassment is totally worth it.

Here's the Plan
There is no magic involved. No weird concoctions to drink. This is all common sense that has nothing to do with pharmaceuticals, extreme food manipulation or expensive fake meals on wheels. Basically, just make sure that MOST of the time (like 90%) you eat foods that still resemble their original state. Raw or lightly steamed/stir fried vegetables; raw or lightly stewed fruits; fresh, lean meats without breading or nitrates (in other words not in the form of beef fingers or processed lunch slices); whole grains. No cheap white bread, noodles or white rice; if you want bread, choose only high fiber whole grain bread. A good way to get veggies is to drink V8 juices. That's two servings of veg in one serving of drink!

Speaking of drink, no sodas; not even diet. I'm convinced that many of my imbalances may have originated from my Pepsi addiction. The constant flow of corn syrup, acid and caffeine can't have been good for me. Diet drinks have artifical sweeteners, many of which are questionable if not downright dangerous (see http://www.sweetpoison.com/). If I want something sweet, I will eat fruit or use REAL sugar (brown, honey, molasses, etc). I am convinced that concentrating on consuming foods that were created by God, as close to the way He put them on the planet as possible, I will improve my health in a dramatic way. That's why I am documenting this publicly. I am making myself a guinea pig for all the common sense I have read and known to be true, but never had the courage to really try before. If I can do it, anyone can. I am the most rebellious, self centered, comfort loving person I know. I want what I want when I want it. It's my biggest battle. But I know that the future I want can't happen if I continue in this downward health spiral. Besides the health, I want to look good, too! And I want to help my children establish good habits now, so they don't have to fight the same battles I have with self esteem and anxiety.
Here are some things to keep in mind
*Fruit digests quickly, so it should be eaten on an empty stomach to avoid fermentation and gas. After about 20 minutes, you can eat other foods because the fruit will have passed on into the intestine by then.
*If raw veggies give you painful gas, eat them lightly steamed or pickled. Fermented foods like pickle, saurkraut and kim chee can be eaten at the beginning of your meal to give your digestive system some help with the process. 
*Eat enough! Don't eat until you're stuffed, but eat enough. This kind of eating feels different at the end of the meal than burgers and fries or pizza. You won't feel bloated, so you will feel weird and like you need more even if you're not hungry. Blog about it, pray about it, sit and contemplate it, but don't eat more just to get that familiar stuffed feeling.
*You aren't depriving yourself, you are loving yourself by eating the things your body was designed to run on. I know this is in every diet book ever written, but it's true. You are doing something nice for you! Remember that.

On a More Positive Note

I am soooooo excited! I have discovered a great motivating tool to get my novel written. Okay. One of the novels that have been percolating in my fevered brain for years. November is National Novel Writing Month! There's an official website and everything (http://www.nanowrimo.org/). I have signed up and have managed to post around 16,000 words so far. The goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Can I do it? Well, considering that the daily goal is 1667 words per day (about 8-9 pages), I think I can. I am really looking forward to being able to type "The End" and really mean it. You're not allowed to edit, you just get the first draft down as quickly and as best you can. According to the site, "December is for editing." Regardless of how much rewriting I may have to do, I am planning to get my first draft done by November 30. Wish me luck! In fact, go try it yourselves and have fun whether you finish or not! :)

Historic Doesn't Mean Good

I have been listening to the debate on the House floor regarding the Pelosi health care bill. Those in favor of it keep saying, "We have a chance to do something historic..." I would just like to say that Hitler did lots of historic things, few of them good. Napoleon did some good historic things and some heinous historic things. Wanting to be part of something historic, changing things for change's sake, is not a good reason to ram through a thoroughly unpopular bill that will limit the freedoms of the America people. Some of the arguments on the Democrat side were sob stories about how people have to fight with their insurance companies over uncovered conditions. I cannot believe that any government run insurance program is going to cover even as much as the worst private insurance company out there. The programs they currently run are rife with corruption that goes undiscovered and costs the public billions. I don't want to trust my life or the lives of my children to the federal government. Do you?

Don't Tell Mama, but My Room Still Isn't Clean

I think we find time in life to do the things we really want to do. In other words, I still don't have "time" to keep my house clean. LOL I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says, "I understand the concept of cleaning and organizing. Just not as it applies to me."

Seriously, though, my bad habits are a lifetime long, and it will take time to retrain myself to remember picking up as I go and all those "cleanie" things that come naturally to some folks. The good news is, I get my dishes and laundry done more than once a week. I'm making progress, but I expect instant miracles. If I can imagine it, I want it to be that way right now. 99 times out of a hundred it won't happen that way. Darn. Avoiding work just makes MORE WORK!

God's Cake

Well, I had a pretty bad couple of days. I had to reschedule my Dr appt because I just felt too crappy to shower and go. My husband always says, "You'll feel better if you shower." He recommends this remedy for sinus, migraine, depression...everything. Showering does make me feel better, but what about when I can't make myself care enough about myself to go do it? Today was better. I heard from my cousin whom I haven't seen in years. She had some good news for me. I also heard from a dear friend I had lost touch with. Another friend sent a great FWD email that I just had to share. It's called "God's Cake" and I have no idea to whom I should give the credit. If the person who originally wrote this happens to read my blog, I apologize for the plagiarism. It's not intentional, and you can feel free to make yourself known by commenting or emailing. Here it is:

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or "Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation! A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake."
"Here, have some cooking oil," her Mother offers.
"Yuck" says her daughter. "How about a couple raw eggs?"
"Gross, Mom!"
"Would you like some flour then? Or maybe baking soda?"
"Mom, those are all yucky!"
To which the mother replies: "Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! "
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all make something wonderful!